In 2016, after Croatian columnist Goran Vojković published an article marking the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Vis a.k.a. Battle of Lissa, a rather lively and interesting Facebook discussion unfolded on the topic. It raised the question of why such an exciting, dynamic, spectacular and historically significant event for this part of the world could not be further evoked in the form of a feature film. The author of this review expressed the opinion that something like this was highly unlikely, and that the financial resources required for such an undertaking – currently beyond the reach of Croatian filmmakers – were the least of the problems. Producing films set at sea represents a technically, logistically and otherwise quite difficult task, and when the subject is naval battles, their complexity poses even greater challenges.
The scale of these challenges is perhaps best illustrated by the case of the Battle of Midway, probably the most important naval engagement of the Second World War, which was adapted into the film Midway in 1976. Although the project was backed by one of the most powerful and technically “well-equipped” Hollywood studios of the time, and although it enjoyed the support of the US Navy, the result was a film that felt unconvincing and outdated just a few years after its production. The problem was in the poor level of special effects, but also in a budget that proved too low for this type of film, forcing some of the most spectacular scenes of naval and air combat to be recycled from earlier (and much cheaper) films. Less than half a century later, German filmmaker Roland Emmerich, armed with far more advanced technology, tackled the exactly the same subject in a newer eponymous film.
The film begins with a prologue set in 1937, hinting at the geopolitical rivalry between Japan and the USA over dominance in Asia and the Pacific, which would four years later lead to an inevitable armed confrontation. Following the plan of the gifted Admiral Yamamoto (Etsushi Toyokawa), Japanese naval forces at the very outset execute a bold and exceptionally successful attack on Pearl Harbor, the main base of the US Pacific Fleet. This puts American battleships out of action and grants Japan absolute supremacy in the Pacific overnight. However, the attack failed to eliminate the American aircraft carriers, so Yamamoto insists on launching another attack precisely for that purpose, aware that, due to American industrial superiority over Japan, he has little time before the enemy recovers its losses and launches a counter-offensive. This will only be heeded after the Pacific Fleet, under the leadership of its new commander, Admiral Nimitz (Woody Harrelson), carries out a series of actions whose main goal is less about inflicting serious blows on the enemy and more about restoring shaken morale. The most important among them proves to be the famous raid on Tokyo, carried out by bombers from Nimitz's carriers under the command of Colonel Doolittle (Aaron Eckhart). After this, Yamamoto finally receives the green light to launch an exceptionally large and complex operation aimed at capturing Midway, an island representing one of the few remaining US bases west of Hawaii. Thanks to the tireless work of its cryptographers who broke Japanese codes, the Americans are aware of Japanese intentions, and Nimitz plans to ambush Yamamoto. His plan, however, is extremely risky, given that the Americans are still inferior in numbers of ships and aircraft, and sailors and pilots like Dick Best (Ed Skrein) will need not only considerable courage and skill, but also plenty of luck.
Most critics today, seeking models that inspired Emmerich for his film, most often mention Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor, a disaster which undeservedly raked in a pile of money at the box office in 2001 and was then deservedly immortalised in a satirical song by Trey Parker and Matt Stone in the film Team America: World Police. Emmerich didn’t need to worry that this film would suffer the same fate, primarily because he sought his models much further in the past. The German filmmaker, who in The Patriot had shown a remarkable ability to capture the essence of Yugoslav partisan films, obviously has a good "nose" for the subject of the Second World War, relying primarily on classic spectacles made in the 1960s, such as The Longest Day. Using their model, which, unlike Pearl Harbor, lacks classical protagonists but instead features a large number of stars in a series of seemingly minor roles, Emmerich skilfully utilises diverse talents, including both Japanese actors and British actors, the latter being extremely popular in today’s Hollywood, as well as veterans like Quaid and Harrelson. The latter portrayed Nimitz quite well (who was played much more blandly by Henry Fonda in the 1976 version), but his British colleague Skrein is sometimes rather irritating in his attempts to portray a tough New Jersey guy, occasionally veering into parody.
Emmerich did a far better job than Michael Bay regarding historical authenticity – almost all characters appearing are real historical figures. The film, in keeping with Hollywood 1960s tradition, can also boast a much subtler division into good and bad guys, with far less chauvinistic waving of US flags. If there are any traces of this, they are compensated for by portraying the Japanese as more than worthy adversaries, among whose ranks are people just as patriotic, self-sacrificing, brave and capable as the protagonists. This impression is only spoiled by a few truly superfluous scenes, including one in which the character of a US aviator played by pop singer Nick Jonas meets his end in a spectacular but rather unconvincing manner. Average viewers, however, will be far more interested in the reconstruction of aerial combat, which, with the use of modern CGI, is executed in a way that could only be dreamt of a few decades ago. Although some interesting details, even those necessary for a proper depiction of the battle, were likely cut out, most probably due to the need to reduce the film to standard length, this is an unusually interesting, instructive and high-quality war film by today's Hollywood standards, from which future creators of a film about the Battle of Vis could learn a great deal.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
(Note: The text in the original Croatian version is available here.)
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